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    A total of 87 discoveries of human remains have been made at Grenfell Tower, police have revealed. The force said on Wednesday its investigators had made 87 recoveries, but was quick to stress this did not mean they had found 87 people due to the catastrophic damage inside the block. Commander Stuart Cundy said: Until formal identification has been completed to the Coroner's satisfaction I cannot say how many people have now been recovered. Grenfell inquiry head backed by Government Some 250 specialists are combing through the wrecked tower by hand, he added. They will sort through more than 15 tonnes of debris per floor, Mr Cundy said. He added: This will take us many months, but we will search each and every flat. We will use all the information we have, especially what ...

    The sister of the London Bridge terror mastermind is believed to have been sacked from Heathrow amid questions about staff vetting at the airport. Britain’s biggest airport carried out an investigation with security services into the sister of Khuram Butt, who massacred revellers in the capital last month. Butt, 27, was known to M15 as a key figure in extremist group al-Muhajiroun and appeared in the Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door. His older sister, Haleema Butt, 28, got a job working security at Heathrow two months before the attack . A source told the Mirror the mother-of-two had her employment terminated as a result of the probe. She declined to comment when approached at home in Harrow, north- west London, but added: “You should take it up with Heathrow . ...

    The rights of private renters in Tower Hamlets are being promoted with the launch of the Tower Hamlets Private Renters' Charter on Thursday June 29. The key message within the Charter is that every private renter has the right to live in a safe and secure home, and to be treated fairly by their landlord or agent. The Charter was officially launched by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, and Statutory Deputy Mayor Cllr Sirajul Islam, who is Tower Hamlets Cabinet Member for Housing. The Charter is backed by a broad range of organisations, who will also provide specialist assistance and guidance for renters. For the first time in generations the majority of homes in Tower Hamlets (40 per cent) are now rented from private landlords, compared with 36 per cent social rented ...

    The government has defended the appointment of a retired appeal court judge to lead the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire and hinted that his remit could be widened, after he faced calls to resign from two Labour MPs. Five days after the appointment of Sir Martin Moore-Bick as head of the inquiry, the MP for Kensington, Emma Dent Coad, and the new shadow fire minister, Chris Williamson, called for him to resign, citing scepticism about him from survivors and frustration at the apparently narrow remit of the inquiry. The justice secretary and lord chancellor, David Lidington, defended Moore-Bick’s appointment and insisted he would consult residents before agreeing the scope of the inquiry. All the latest news, views and opinion on the Grenfell tragedy After meeting resid...

    A terrified teenager plunged to her death from a fourth floor window in front of her distraught family as she lost her grip while trying to escape a fire raging in her bedroom. Meilan Duong has been named as the youngster with a a heart of gold who died in the blaze in east London yesterday morning - just a fortnight before her 18th birthday. Horrified onlookers said the young girl, wearing just her underwear, was clinging on outside her window screaming for help as the inferno raged inside. One witness claimed she had tried to climb out using a blanket or rope on to the balcony on the floor below, but was forced to let go after her hair and the rope caught fire. Next door neighbour Shopba Begum, 36, described the teen she believed was attending sixth form college as a lov...

    Grenfell Tower tenants illegally subletting given legal protection in bid to establish death toll Grenfell Tower tenants who were illegally subletting will not be prosecuted, the Government has announced in an attempt to help establish the number of victims of the deadly blaze. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said that new legal guidance would ensure anybody who was unlawfully renting out their property in the building would avoid charges. It comes as authorities face increasing pressure to establish a total death toll, with some people alleging survivors had not come forward to report those living in their flat as missing due to fear of reprisal. Police believe at least 80 people died in the blaze on Wednesday, June 14, but officials have said they may not know the fina...